Contemporary urbanization in India is in transition and this, along with the continuation of a ‘top heavy’ urban structure and gradual deindustrialization, is characterized by faster growth of informal employment, a declining trend of urban-ward migration of males, the slow down in the growth of cities and towns and the emergence of new urban centres. Given this immediate backdrop, this paper examines the contemporary processes and emerging forms of urban transition in West Bengal, with its longstanding history of ‘mono-centric’ urbanization. It reveals that urbanization in the state is no longer confined to a few pockets, as many new urban centres have emerged away from them and small towns are growing at relatively faster rates compared to the cities. But the underlying factors of this transition are not associated with the dispersal of economic activities and employment opportunities away from the metropolises. Furthermore, the study is sceptical about the significance of this emerging form of urbanization fuelled by the growth of small cities and towns which have a weak economic base, a crisis of urban governance and inadequate access to basic amenities.

Since the release of the census 2011 data, much has been written about the 'unprecedented' emergence of new census towns (CTs), their spatial distribution, their role in urban growth and possible reasons for their emergence. However, little has been talked about the process of transformation of the concerned settlements from 'rural' to 'urban' using field information. The current study is an attempt to bridge this gap. Taking the case of Sehara, a new CT in the state of West Bengal, the article argues that the process of structural transformation of economy in such settlements is not necessarily unidirectional and agriculture plays a strong role in this process. Fluctuation of non-farm employment makes such towns an 'undecidable category'. The study also reveals that the towns like Sehara have little regional importance when the concerned region is dotted by several big villages.

This detailed geographical analysis of the emergence of new census towns in 2011 reveals that, broadly, the spatial pattern of the new census towns follows the pattern of the existing urban centres. As a result, the force of urban concentration has been further accentuated. Quite expectedly the field of urban concentration around Kolkata urban agglomeration has been extended outward, which indicates the perpetuating centripetal force of the declining metropolis. Apart from this age-old location of urban concentration, several new pockets of urban concentration have emerged, of which the majority are centred by the small and medium cities with great regional and national importance. Contrary to the force of urban concentration, emergence of new census towns also resulted in, albeit to a limited extent, urban dispersal. The study concludes that, to make this emerging organization of space significant, it is necessary to have an effective urban governance and planning in the newly emerged (as well as existing) census towns.

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